News Investigators/ The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has described as false and misleading, claims that the commission applied a rollover approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for 2025 Hajj service providers.
NAHCON said this in a statement issued by Ahmad Muazu, Technical Assistant (Media) to the commission’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in Abuja on Thursday.
“NAHCON has noted with concern, the persistent misrepresentation and misinformation surrounding the engagement of Hajj service providers for the 2026 Hajj operations.
“These claims wrongly suggest that the commission sought or applied a rollover approval from BPP for 2025 Hajj service providers. This position is false and misleading.
“For the avoidance of doubt, NAHCON did not at any time request for a rollover of contracts from the BPP,” he said.
Mr Muazu said that the commission’s decision not to open a fresh bidding process for certain 2026 Hajj services was strictly informed by the emergency nature of Hajj operations.
He said that the BPP advertisement rule and the extremely tight timelines issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all participating countries were also responsible for the decision
According to him, this approach is fully consistent with Section 43 of the Public Procurement Act 2007, which allows emergency procurement where time constraints make standard tender processes impracticable.
“The Saudi Hajj calendar is fixed, non-negotiable, and applies equally to all Hajj missions globally. Nigeria is not an exception.
“It is important to state clearly that the re-engagement procurement does not translate to automatic renewal or preservation of existing contract terms.
“Following the 2025 Hajj, the commission carried out performance reviews, service evaluations, and satisfaction assessments across all service areas.
“Based on these findings, NAHCON is under no obligation to retain identical contractual terms, scope or volume arrangements previously applied in 2025,” Mr Muazu said.
He said that the commission’s guiding principles remained transparency, accountability, value for money, and quality service for Nigerian pilgrims.
“Any engagement of service providers for 2026 is, therefore, informed by past performance, operational capacity, compliance history, and the ability to meet Saudi regulatory requirements within the available timeframe.
“NAHCON will not tolerate any attempt to exploit the emergency nature of 2026 Hajj operations to undermine its statutory mandate or to distort public understanding of procurement processes,” he said.
He urged all stakeholders to desist from abusing the act of public procurement in ways that mislead the public or mischaracterise lawful administrative decisions.
He encouraged service providers and other interested parties with genuine concerns regarding contractual engagements to formally submit their complaints or requests for clarification to the commission.
“NAHCON has established mechanisms for dispute resolution and remains committed to fair hearing and institutional accountability.
“The commission reiterates that its doors remain open to all partners committed to the successful delivery of Hajj operations.
“Constructive engagement, not misinformation, is the path to strengthening Nigeria’s Hajj administration and safeguarding the welfare of pilgrims,” he said.
NAN
